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Teacher Althena
When the Prime God allowed Celestials to choose a gender and reproduce, it quickly became apparent that Godlings needed someone to teach them how to handle their powers. The Goddess known as Althena volunteered to take on this role and has been Goddess of Teachings ever since. Life: Early years Althena worked closely under Principal God Parvati and would help many Demigods find their way into Heaven. Her charges included Shabalha, Athena, Malus, Wieland (her brother) and countless more. She was present when the Prime God punished Zeus and Hera for their involvement in Shabalha's apparent demise. Attempted retirement Known across the ages as Teacher, Althena tried at times to retire like so many Gods of her age and younger had already done. Each and every time though, her intended successor would (oft through no fault of their own) become unable to take over.The most recent example being Principal Goddess Eiraiha, who assumed the mantle of Principal God when her mother Demara was tragically killed before the election. Teacher persevered though and played a critical role in the evacuation of Old Heaven by helping Clover and Alyssum convince stubborn Celestials to vacate the crumbling realm. The Renaissance Teacher worked mostly behind the scenes to settle New Heaven and scold those that were being stubborn old fools. (Usually younger than her by millennia.) When the lost Goddess Yesh was found, Teacher was one of those consulted in an attempt to discern her original identity. She was also asked by Eiraiha to tutor three ascendant Goddesses (with a potential fourth up for debate then.) and prove thereby that mamonme could ascend as well as other mortals. However, before lessons could start there was one matter neither Teacher nor Eiraiha had foreseen. Yesh had very grateful to the Principal Goddess and her husband for saving her and finding a way to save her previously unknown family. (Themselves technically Nephyrum.) Yesh brought them into contact with Io, the ur-mother of all mamonme descended from the Horned Ones. Herself once a Goddess with a list of grievances against Heaven long enough to wrap around Praxis. Immediately recognizing Io as Shabalha and likewise being remembered, Teacher was present for every moment that Io's story was laid bare. When the Day of the Prime came, she had been spending time with her younger brother Wieland, yet was touched when the Prime thanked her for all her hard work over the aeons. Final years Althena was proud when Rukia, Emmy, Metala and Nelfi succeeded in graduating as Goddesses and immensely thankful that the former three would succeed her, aided by their husband and Nelfi. Once freed from the task of teaching, Althena spent her remaining time on Praxis quietly, lending a hand when and where it was needed. She would also talk to the shade of Io on occasion, reminiscing about old times. One day however, she and Wieland passed on and their funeral would be attended by so many that it took four weeks for people to pay their respects. Their tombs stand on a rise in what is known as Teacher's Dale in New Heaven, a natural bowl in the land where calm reigns and sound carries. It is there that written examinations are held by the current Goddesses of Education as miscreants have reported ghostly sensations when trying to cheat. Powers and abilities Teacher Althena was unusual among Celestials due to the fact that she could not grow stronger or weaker by fluctuations in faith, instead her posting granted her power nearly equal to the Principal Gods in order to handle unruly Godlings. Her main strength lay in the fact that practically every Celestial had been taught by her at one point or another, hence they accredited her as much respect as the Prime God itself. Though fully capable of flight, Althena preferred to walk everywhere herself, taking in the landscape and carefully thinking over things. She was not fond of swearing, calmly rebuking those that (to her standards) dropped the f-bomb a little too often and too long. In her dress she carried the one thing a teacher should never be without: a packet of sweets. Category:Celestial Characters Category:Characters